


Revenge is a dish best served cold

by Neisseria_Meningitidis



Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)
Genre: But she is oblivious to the sexual tensions, Emilia is a little jealous of Subaru and Julius friendship, Emilia is oblivious, It depends of the point of view, It doesn't end on an innuendo though, Julius helps Natsumi take her vengeance, Julius takes the teasing too far, M/M, Natsumi and Subaru are sometimes referred as he sometimes as she, Natsumi best tsundere, Natsumi vs the blondzilla, No Smut, Subaru can't stand people insulting Emilia, i don't know how to write that, lots of innuendos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:22:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27903646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neisseria_Meningitidis/pseuds/Neisseria_Meningitidis
Summary: Emilia is invited to a fancy party and wants to bring Subaru with her. Unfortunately, he is persona non grata so he comes to the party as Natsumi. Julius is at that party too.The tension grows and things happen.
Relationships: Julius Juukulius | Julius Euclius/Natsuki Subaru, Julius Juukulius | Julius Euclius/Natsumi Schwartz
Comments: 23
Kudos: 193





	1. The taste of wine

When the two guards bowed to Emilia before inviting her to enter the impressive country-side castle, she almost died of laughter. Her status as a royal candidate got her an invitation to one of Lord Mebaux's fancy parties, even though her half-elf heritage was well known by all. Lord Roswaal urged her to accept his invitation and, of course, Subaru asked to accompany her. She would have gladly taken him to help her built her network (hoping some of the good old Natsuki charms would rub off on her) but Lord Mebaux asked her explicitly not to. Indeed, the last time Subaru and Lord Mebaux met, Subaru had unintentionally vomited all over the Lord's shirt. The poor boy ate too many cream puffs and they had to get out of him one way or another. Not letting this little accident keep him from following his dear Emilia, Subaru devised a plan to infiltrate the party. 

“Told you it would work.” Subaru winked at Emilia. “My skills are way too high. I maxed all stats on this build.”  
“You're devious, Subaru.” Emilia bit her tongue, she was already blowing his cover! “I mean, you're devious, Miss Natsumi Schwartz.”

And devious 'she' was, indeed, Subaru's disguise was flawless. And Emilia was quite jealous of how well he pulled off his backless black dress. It was unfair, even she couldn't wear it this well, and she was a woman. Subaru said that there was no competition between them, that he would be the sexy one and she would be the beautiful one. She understood that they would have their own roles to fulfill, but still! Even his make-up game was on point. 

“Hehe, suckers.” Subaru was Emilia plus-one but the guard didn't even ask any questions. Maybe he could have gone as himself, but oh well. “I can't wait for you to 'introduce' me to Lord Dickhead and have him kiss my hand and shit. That will teach him to call me a 'disgusting swine', ha!”  
“Su- Natsumi, don't be mean. Don't act like you were the innocent one! You really reeeeally deserved to be excluded.”  
“If I deserved to be excluded, why did you bring me here?”  
“It's not my fault! You're the one who made me addicted to your company!”  
“My E.M.T said she was addicted to me! I must have triggered an event flag! This is going to be the best day EVER!”  
“Shhhhh.” Emilia put a finger on his mouth. “You have to act like a lady now, Lady Natsumi.” she laughed. Subaru was generating nonsense faster than the sun generated light.  
“Well, of course. I hope this party will bring us great joy, dear friend.” Subaru cleared his throat. “May this day become our happiest memories!” 

Emilia watched as Subaru dropped his lady act after five seconds to rush toward a butler with a tray of appetizers. Subaru never learned, did he? She would scold him if she didn't find him adorable, his childish behavior was endearing… sometimes. For a time, she even thought he was thirteen. He felt attacked in his man's pride, but it was his fault for acting like a small cute child. 

Subaru knew that his behavior was 'unladylike', but how did they expect him to resist such delicious treats. They were heaven made, commissioned by God himself. If he puked again on Lors Dickhead, well too bad. It would have been worth it. 

The butler could not hide his surprise, what appeared like a graceful young woman was assaulting his tray. He knew some people had no class, but she was a savage. What a shame, because she had the face and body of an angel. She would most likely find a man even with this ugly behavior. She was lucky to be blessed with such a pretty face. 

The woman's attacks on the food were so relentless that the butler barely managed to keep his tray in his hand. As a matter of fact, he inadvertently made the tray fall on the ground. The butler prepared himself to hear a great bang and see his salary being cut in half for the month, but the sound never came. Fortunately for him, another guest caught the tray without making any food fall on the ground. 

“Sir Juukulius!” the butler didn't know if he was lucky to be saved or unlucky to shame himself in front of one of the greatest knights in the kingdom.  
“Eh… Julius” Subaru almost sneered.  
“Does my reputation precede me?” Julius tilted his head, did he meet this woman before? He rarely forgot a face, especially one of a lady. “Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Ju-”  
“I am Julius Juukulius of the Knights of the Royal Guard. Blah, blah, blah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We know the speech.” Subaru mocked Julius, still keeping his softest voice. “Now gimme that.” he took the food tray out of Julius' hand.  
“Did I offend you in any way? Please believe it was not my intention.”

Without letting Julius finish his apologies, Subaru turned around, making sure to flip his hair in Julius' face. With the tray in hand, he ate the last pastries while walking away. He made sure to stick his tongue to Julius, almost blowing him a raspberry, before reuniting with Emilia. 

Emilia facepalmed visibly as Subaru walked toward her. He never learned. Emilia liked Julius a lot, but the knight knew how to bring out Subaru's inner toddler. He didn't even need to taunt Subaru to do that, even treating him like a respected lady triggered Subaru. They got along like a house on fire. But Emilia couldn't help but be jealous of their odd friendship. Subaru barked at Julius, but would never bite and would even risk his life for the other man. She felt like he was more honest with Julius than with her. Like Julius could reveal a side of him she never would. 

“Do you want some?” Subaru offered her the almost empty tray. “The red ones are divine.”  
“But there is no red one?” Emilia took the tray, not to eat some but to stop Subaru from binging the rest.  
“Ah… I ate them all.” but Emilia had to try them, he had to find a way to let her taste them. “Eureka!”  
“Yureca?” who was Yureca?  
“I just need to find another tray! Stay here! I'll fetch you some!” 

Subaru went on his way even before finishing his pledge to find her the mysterious red treats. Emilia was about to follow him but a large man appeared before her. 

“Good evening, Lady Emilia.” the man took her hand and kissed it. “I am Baron Viktor Borodin, it's an honor to meet with the sweetest royal candidate.”  
“Ah… Nice to meet you, Baron Borodin.” Emilia wanted to get away but she couldn't rebuff one of the only noble willing to talk with her.  
“Allow me to ask you some questions…” 

Unable to follow Subaru, Emilia could do nothing but watch him stalk the room for another butler to assault. 

Subaru was scanning the ballroom like a hawk, he had to find the red pastries at all cost. He went from every butler and maid, checking every table in vain. Everybody must have been in the know, there was none of them left. He had failed Emilia, his insatiable gluttony failed Emilia! 

It was only after losing hope that Subaru found his holy grail: one of the red pastries on a golden plate. What was detestable was the man holding the plate, the one and only Julius Juukulius. Grinding his teeth, Subaru took his courage in both hands to face the knight and retrieve Emilia's due. 

“Hey, Julius. What's up?” Subaru mustered his best (hypocritical) smile and stopped a few inches away from Julius.  
“Good evening, miss-” he was happy to meet the mysterious woman again, he still had to redeem himself for offending her (not that he knew what he did).  
“Miss Natsumi Schwartz, your new best friend.” 'Natsumi' did the finger gun to accentuate 'her' introduction.  
“My new best friend, really? In this case, I'm honored.” he smiled warmly.  
“Yeah, you should. Now that we are friends, can I ask you something?”  
“Anything, my lady. Does it have to do with the plate in my hands?”  
“Exactly! Good boy, you’re quick to catch on!” 

As soon Subaru threw himself on the plate, Julius moved it away gracefully. Just enough to keep Subaru from grabbing it, but without making a scene by shifting it all around. An outside observer would believe that Julius was just moving naturally as he spoke while ‘Natsumi’ gesticulated weirdly next to him. 

“What are you doing, sir Juukulius? It’s not very knightly to keep a lady from eating.” no matter what he said Julius would not yield.  
“And it is quite unfit of a lady to try to snatch away other guests' food.” 

Whoever that Natsumi Schwartz was, she was a riot. Julius was aware he was getting out of his knight persona, but he couldn’t stop himself. Playing along with her little ‘games’ was too amusing and teasing her was too easy. And he couldn’t shake away the impression that he met her before, she hinted at them sharing a past together after all. He shouldn't be too hard on himself, it was just some harmless fun with a unique character. 

“Just gimme that! I need it more than you.” he tried to get the plate again only to fail (again).  
“Well, of course. What my lady wants, my lady gets.” he bowed, still keeping the plate away from ‘Natsumi’.  
“Good. You’re coming back to your senses!”  
“If she tells me where we met before, that is.” he had already seen this woman, he would bet his life on it. It was awfully unlike him to forget a face, especially one so uncommonly charming. And that was not even taking account of her unique personality.  
“Don’t play me like that, Julius.” he wanted to cry, maybe some crocodile tears would make him give up.  
“I am truly sorry, but I can not share my food with someone I do not know. Who knows what could happen?”

Subaru sneered at him and Julius smiled in return. This only made Subaru want to hit his pretty-boy face with a chair or two. Their little dance of attacks and evasions was getting ridiculous, it came to the point that Julius would slightly step away from him and Subaru would just walk into his cape rather than toward the plate. Subaru felt like a bull in a corrida, and instead of red, it was Julius’ face that infuriated him. 

“Don’t matador me, you little shit.” if Subaru had horns, Julius would have already regretted playing this little game.  
“Please, forgive my ignorance. But what does ‘Matador’ mean?” Julius never heard of this word, this lady was full of surprises.  
“I’ll tell you… if you give the good!” ‘Natsumi Schwartz’ finally had a bargaining chip!  
“Really... “ Julius pondered. “Then, I guess I will have to ‘matador’ you all night long.” Julius said, insisting on the ‘matador’ all while looking ‘Natsumi’ deep in her eyes.  
“DON’T SAY IT LIKE THAT!” Subaru covered his ears, he heard nothing, nothing!  
“Why not? Every word a lady can use, a knight can say too.” this little game of theirs was too entertaining to stop now.  
“It’s dirty when you say! Dirty, dirty, DIRTY!” everything about this man was dirty!  
“Really…” Julius considered Natsumi’s statement. “Mmmm… ‘Matador’... ‘Ma-Ta-Dor’... Doesn’t sound dirty to me. But please, enlighten me! How is it dirty?” Julius could not hide his amusement anymore. She really knew how to brighten a boring cosmopolitan party. 

‘Natsumi’ contorted her face in such a grimace, she could scare away the witch herself. Julius only found it added to her singular charm. He wouldn’t be bored a single day of his life with such a woman by his side. Truth be told, this brand of exuberance was familiar to him. She reminded him of a dear friend of his, she had his bark, but did she have his bite? 

“Well, my fair lady. I would hate to put a stop on our delightful conversation.” Julius looked past Subaru. “But the master of ceremony is signaling me to meet him. I could introduce you to him later if you wish. But I must go alone for now.”  
“Nobody wants to be introduced to Lord Di-, I mean Lord Mebaux…”  
“Is that so…” she was right, Lord Mebaux had an indelicate personality, especially with pretty ladies. “To make up for having to leave you so suddenly.” he gave her his plate with the little red pastry on it. “May we talk again.” 

Julius bowed one last time and went toward a group of men and women with Lord Mebaux in the middle. Before finally joining their conversation, Julius made sure to give ‘Natsumi’ a playful wink. Subaru answered the wink by putting a finger in his mouth and grimacing, only making Julius laugh at him. 

Subaru resisted the urge to strangle the man and went back to Emilia’s side, she was talking with a large man and a tall woman. The poor girl looked quite flustered, she could be so shy sometimes. His true mission here was to assist her through the hardships of socialization, he had to rescue her and fast! 

“Natsumi! You are back!” Emilia was relieved, she was getting overwhelmed by the conversation so fast. They were trying to get her to say bad things about the other royal candidates and she didn’t know why.  
“Oooh, who is this charming lady?” the Baron asked.  
“Yes, darling, who is this charming little flower?” his wife added.  
“I am Natsumi Schwartz, one of Lady Emilia's humble friends.” if Julius got the ‘Natsumi is still Subaru’ experience, the guests Emilia tried to impress would get to see the softer side of his character.  
“Miss Natsumi then! It’s an honor to meet such a beautiful lady.” the Baron took ‘Natsumi’s’ hand and kissed it.  
“And such a charitable mind, bringing some pastries for us to eat.” the wife took one of the pastries, the red one, out of the plate and ate it with a smile. 

It took all his self-control not to smash his plate on the woman’s head, didn’t she know it was unfit of a lady to snatch away other people's food? He turned around to see Julius chatting with other men at the far end of the ballroom. At least, he didn’t see him lose his hard-fought prize. 

“We were talking with Lady Emilia about her policies on trading. Especially taxation of Kiraragi’s merchandise. As you know, fluvial commerce is the key to Kiraragi’s economy. “  
"Absolutely!" he nodded, not having understood a single thing out of the Baron’s mouth.  
“Please, do not pay attention to my husband. He fails to understand that some people are not interested in silk trading.”  
“But we must be sure our potential king understands the importance of regulating our fluvial commerce.”  
“Brother, please!” 

A young woman with an incredible diamond necklace and a gorgeous long white silk dress butted in the conversation. Emilia slightly bowed to acknowledge her presence but ‘Natsumi’ wasn’t so kind. ‘She’ was sure this woman would be insufferable, ‘she’ already missed the river stuff. 

“Katalina, I am serious.” the Baron frowned, did nobody see the significance of fluvial commerce?  
“I know, you always are.” she laughed. “But let’s face the truth, and even Lady Emilia is aware of… her lack of chances in the royal selection. You should bother someone else with your ships, brother.”  
“I-I reeeeeeally believe in my chances!” Emilia wasn’t about to let anyone discourage her.  
“You reeeeally believe? How charmingly childish!” 

A butler presented himself next to the group, he was proposing some red wine to the guests. Emilia had no need to drink, but she took one glass anyway. To hide her blushing face behind it and to appear more adult in the woman’s eyes. Both the sister and ‘Natsumi’ took one too. Emilia was about to scold Subaru for underage drinking, but let it slide for today. She had a bigger problem on her hands. 

“My faction and I work toward revitalizing Mathers’ territory every day! And we made great progress, with the help of other factions, in eliminating the witch cult’s activities.” she had to defend what her friends did to help her and everybody around. Insulting her was one thing, but insulting her friends’ hard work was another!  
“Ah yes, the witch-cult… I have heard that you found a poor man to act as your knight and send him to fight ‘The White Whale’ and an archbishop. Even though you were nowhere to be seen for both.” she gave Emilia a fake smile.  
“Lady Emilia was an important part of the force protecting the villagers!” ‘Natsumi’ had enough of this woman! “And why should she be on the front line against ‘The White Whale’? She is the royal candidate, not a soldier.”  
“Natsumi, it’s ok…” Emilia didn’t want Subaru to fight for her, she knew how he would get when people were mean with her.  
“I’m just saying that we never saw the… woman of half-elf heritage fight against the witch-cult herself.”  
“Katalina, let’s not bring that up here. It makes Lady Emilia uncomfortable.”  
“And? She is a royal candidate, she must be able to handle criticism, or she would make a shameful leader.” 

The Baron looked at his wife for help but she said nothing. He understood their ‘reservations’ about the half-elf, but he was a man of commerce. He couldn’t back down on furthering his business because of the color of a woman’s hair. He knew her chances were minuscule, but he had no reason not to play safe. He just wanted to talk about his ships and now his sister was verbally abusing the royal candidate.

“Please, Lady Emilia, understand my sister-in-law's concerns. You are… what you are. And even though you seem like an honest woman, the same blood as… you know who, runs through your veins.” the wife shook her head sadly. “I think it’s quite irresponsible of you to run for the throne of the ‘Dragon Kingdom’ with your heritage.”  
“Not you too, honey.” the Baron sighed.  
“You are too kind, brother. We only say what everybody thinks. Lady Emilia should thank us for opening her eyes.”  
“I already know of the population's concerns about my heritage!” Emilia looked at her feet, no matter how often it happened, it was never easy.  
“And you still want to rule?” the sister looked shocked. “You still want the throne even though its people hate you, you really share the delusional envy of the wi- I mean, your ancestry is showing.” her smile was as stiff as ever. 

The word of the woman sewed Emilia's mouth shut. She wanted to make herself as small as possible and run away. A part of her wished she could defend herself without ruining the reputation her friends worked so hard to build, but she couldn't indulge in righteous rhetoric. So she had to take it now, and prove them wrong later.

“I think I can be the ruler Lugunica needs and I know one day I'll prove myself to you and everyone who doubts my intentions.”  
“That's where you're wrong, darling. Nobody here wants you to prove us anything. Stop imposing yourself on others.”  
“Katalina, you're the one imposing yourself on her right now.” he took his sister's hand to nudge her away from Emilia.  
“This girl needs to hear it.” she slapped his hand away. “We are talking about the fate of the kingdom, brother.”  
“Even if, it's not the pla-”  
“It is. Trust me.”  
“I just want to help everyone to get along.” this was too much, she couldn't bear this woman's stare anymore. “I just want to do good.” her eyes filled with tears but she couldn't let them fall. She had to stay strong.  
“If you really want to do good, then you should st-”  
“Oops. My bad, I tripped.” 

The poor, clumsy Natsumi tripped and poured her entire glass on the woman's white silk dress! What a nightmare, she was so ashamed of herself. When the Baron’s sister saw the gigantic stain on her dress, she let out a blood-curdling screech. 

“AAAaaaah!” the witch’s bitch ruined her dress.  
“Ssssshh, Katalina. It’s just an accident, you’re making a scene!” The Baron took a napkin and tried to wipe off the wine, only spreading it out.  
“Stop, you fluvial moron!” she snatched the napkin off her brother’s hand and threw it on the ground. 

But her brother was right, everybody was looking at them. Worse of all, Lord Mebaux was staring at her face like she was a banshee. And it was by staring back at him that she saw sir Juukuluius by his side. Which was even worse, this one was prime husband material. As much as she wanted to claw Natsumi's face off, she couldn’t let this incident ruin her chance with the greatest knight among knights. 

“Lady Katalina, I’m reeeeeaaaally sorry!” Emilia was beyond embarrassed, she knew Subaru would reach his boiling point rather sooner than later and she did nothing. It was her fault. “Let me help you.”  
“No it’s reeeeeeeaaally ok!” she contorted her lips into a smile. “Accident happens.” 

Julius knew that starring was impolite, but the scene happening on the other side of the room was quite intriguing. Everybody has a side of them that couldn’t look away from worthy gossip material, even though he would never partake in gossip himself. His interest increased tenfold when he noticed Lady Emilia next to the screeching woman (Lady Katalina, perhaps?) and a hundredfold when he saw the elusive Natsumi Schwartz by her side. Of course, she would be a part of every intriguing event of this party. It was bad taste, but he had to see this for himself.

“Please, I will… I will pay for the cleaning fees!” Emilia really wanted to make things better, especially when her first internal reaction had not been horror but joy.  
“It’s ok, Emilia. Some Schadenfreude is healthy and good for the skin.” ‘Natsumi’ winked at ‘her’ friend.  
“Ah… ‘Schadenfreude’, you really have an astonishing vocabulary, Miss Natsumi. I keep learning with you by my side.”  
“Urgh… Julius.”  
“Ah, sir Juukulius!” the woman greeted him! It was just her luck, him coming when she was covered in wine. Her revenge against the witch and her friend was going to be extraordinary. “I am going to… freshen up. But please, I really want to discuss with you.”  
“It would be my honor, Lady Katalina.” 

The Baron’s sister went to her assigned room in a furry, she was lucky her brother was affluent enough to be worthy of having his habitation on site. She had to change her dress and freshen-up before giving those girls a taste of their own medicine. Both her brother and sister-in-law excused themselves and followed her to their room. 

“Lady Emilia, please excuse the lateness of my greetings.” Julius was aware of her coming here, all royal candidates were invited. His own lady was doing business in Kiraragi and sent him in her stead. But he just didn’t see her until now.  
“Don’t worry, Julius. We just didn’t notice each other! I’m happy to see you here!” Emilia was truly happy, finally a familiar face who didn’t believe her a witch.  
“You should grovel in shame, Julius. Disrespecting Lady Emilia like that.” he was summoning his best Ram impression.  
“Charming as ever, Lady Natsumi.”  
“Ooooh, Julius! We can tell you about it!” Emilia was shocked that even Julius was fooled.  
“Tell me what exactly?”  
“About Natsu-”  
“Shhhhhhh. Lady Emilia, what are you talking about?” Subaru put his hand over Emilia’s mouth, Julius was an asshole you deserved to know nothing.  
“About, Lady Natsumi?” Julius raised an eyebrow, God knew he wanted to pierce the mystery that was ‘Natsumi Schwartz’.  
“Nothing, now go away; shoo, shoo!” he flapped his hand to encourage him to disappear.  
“Lady Emilia, you really have a talent for finding the most peculiar personalities. Lightning does strike twice… oh.” Julius understood.  
“Don’t ‘oh’ me!”  
“Oh.” 

It made too much sense, way too much sense. A character like Natsuki Subaru was really unique, the world could not survive two of him.

“My, my. The gods really made a mistake by making you a man, Subaru. You should wear a dress more often.”  
“I said ‘go away, shoo, shoo’!”  
“But it’s fine, nobody is perfect.”  
“Don’t ‘Some like it hot’ me!”  
“Who likes it hot? Me? I never said so...”

It was official, Julius was going to have the most entertaining night of his life. Teasing a mysterious feral lady was a thing, but teasing a Natsuki Subaru acting like a mysterious feral lady was another. It may have been cruel to enjoy it so much, but Julius prayed for this night to never end. This man was pure gold in a tracksuit, and ‘she’ was pure gold in a dress. If Julius met his end tonight, it would be by dying of laughter. 

The need to kick Julius was strong, but Subaru ground his teeth. He knew already went too far with his glass trick. But he couldn't think of anything else to shut the Baron's sister up. That woman was walking all over Emilia's heart and nobody was stopping her. He had to do something and he had already moved his hand before realizing what he had done. He really hoped it wasn't going to ruin Emilia's reputation, but it was too late to do anything now. 

The mission now was to cheer up Emilia, her eyes were still wet with unshed tears. But he didn't know how... his usual antics would draw too much attention to them. And Emilia needed anything but that. Should he find her something sweet to eat? But she didn't look like she could eat or drink anything. Maybe he should find a quiet place and give her a big hug? This could work, but she needed way more than a hug. 

“There is this beautiful patio behind the west wing.” Julius whispered in his poor friend's ear. “The atmosphere is breathtaking and it's full of wonderful little spirit. I'm sure she would find peace in such a place.”  
“Ah! Don't put your lips near my ear.” Subaru wiped away the feeling on his ear.  
“Where should I put them, then?” he whispered again before laughing and bowing to Emilia. “I apologize for my brutal departure but I have affairs to intend to. But don't worry, I have the feeling we'll get to see each other again before the party's end.”

Tormenting the poor Subaru was first-class entertainment but Julius thought he was maybe going a little too far. It would be wise not to take a second glass of wine, to keep himself from making any mistakes. Which was a shame because the Champagne they served was particularly tantalizing. 

“Let's go, Emilia, we should go walk for a bit. There is no reason to stay stuck in this ballroom, after all.” taking Emilia by the hand, Subaru led Emilia to the patio described by Julius  
“Yes…” Emilia was still looking at the ground ruminating what the woman said. 

Their walk to the patio was silent, they met a few people in the long corridors but nobody stopped to talk to them. Subaru thought it was for the best, his Emilia was not ready to face the harsh world of nobility yet. She kept telling him that she was used to it, but the pain on her face was obvious. Making her forget the words of the Baron's sister would be no easy task, but he had to try.

“Subaru.” Emilia said softly. “I really am imposing my selfish needs on everyone, right?” she knew that Subaru would deny even if it was true.  
“Forget what she said, she just wanted to break you.” seeing Emilia believing those lies was painful. “Some people feed on inflicting misery… You’re just her victim of the day.”  
“But she is not wrong, she just said out loud what a lot of people think.” even if few dared to say those kinds of things to her face, she could see it in their eyes.  
“That woman doesn’t know shit about politics or how to be a good leader. She is just an ignorant noble that would rather spew venom than give you the benefit of the doubt.”  
“But she is not the only one to think that… The wife said nothing but she didn’t think any less.”  
“Yes. And the only one who knew a single thing about politics or economy was listening to you. The Baron really wanted to talk to you and work with you when you become king.”  
“But what if he is the only one?” she couldn't rule with only a single baron on her side.  
“He is not, believe me. For all we know, he was like his sister before but you proved him wrong.” Subaru saw the patio behind a glass door, he hoped it would help wash Emilia's worries away. “And you already have a few noble houses that believe in your kindness. Reinhard and Julius saw it for themselves and they are the future heads of their houses.”  
“I-I think they believe more in yours than in mine.” the only reason anyone started to talk to her in the Arlam village was because of him.  
“Nope. They respect you for who you are. They told me so themselves! And if we bump into Julius again, I'm sure he'll tell you directly.” and now he had to find Julius again… Curse his luck, Julius had been particularly insufferable this evening.  
“Really?” she felt like a child comforted by her mother.  
“Of course! I'll bet all my worldly possessions on it!”  
“And what are your worldly possessions? I don't see anything except for your whip. The rest belong to Lord Roswaal.” she laughed, he was always one for hyperbole.  
“Err… First, my whip is very precious. Just look at it!” he took it from under his dress and showed it proudly to Emilia. “Second… errr… well… nothing.”  
“I'm sorry, you're right. Your whip is reeeeally precious.” she meant it, she could see how much Subaru loved it.  
“You know, it’s a part of me and it’s like an extension of my hand. Look at that!”

With a crack of his whip, Subaru grabbed the glass door’s nob and opened it in front of Emilia. In a second swift motion, he let go of the nob and wrapped his whip around itself. He then winked at Emilia and encouraged her to enter the patio as he put back his whip under his dress. 

“Let’s feel the love tonight, shall we?” 

Emilia wasn’t so sure about feeling love but she felt the soothing mood of the patio overtake her. This little interior garden was the loveliest one she ever saw and she could feel hundreds of micro-spirit surrounding her. As she raised her head, she could see the moon and the stars shining so bright that some of them looked like very far away spirits. 

“This garden is so prepossessing.” she smiled each time she noticed something new: the plant life, the statues, the ornaments on the glass door and windows, the smell of the flowers, the noise of grasshoppers…  
“Who even says ‘prepossessing’ anymore?”  
“Ah-ha!” Emilia pointed at Subaru with a satisfied smile. “Well, I let you know that somebody did recently.” she was so proud of herself, she put a trap for Subaru and he fell right into it.  
“400 years old books don't count, you know?”  
“Uh-hu! It’s noooooooooo 400 years old book!” she got him good.  
“Then pray tell. Who did?” he smiled, Emilia was so cute when she thought she had the upper hand. The pride in her eyes was adorable!  
“Julius!” she heard him say it the last time they met, so she was right and Subaru fell in her trap.  
“Ugh.” he grimaced. “He doesn't count!!”  
“Stop being a Tsun-de-re! Of course, he counts.” she pinched his cheeks, he was so cute when he acted like Julius and he didn’t get along.  
“I’m not being a Tsundere! Do not use the sacred word against me!” he blushed and looked away.  
“Okaaaay, let’s see!”  
“See what?”

Emilia let go of Subaru and held her hands together, she then closed her eyes and called for the micro-spirit’s voices. Countless lights shone as bright as fireflies and surrounded her, they all gently floated by her side and she looked like a mother to them all. 

“The spirits have spoken.” she said with an adorable ominous voice.  
“They did?” this spirit-talking session came out of nowhere, what they said to her must have been of the utmost importance.  
“Yes.” she opened an eye. “They all think that you are a tsundere tooooooooo!”  
“Traitors.” he should have known.  
“You’re the traitor! Stop betraying your feelings! Admit your friendship!” she knew that Subaru would put himself in great danger to save Julius if it came to it, he would just not admit it. Fortunately, Julius was seeing right through his charades!  
“A-as if! Now shoo, shoo!” he waved his hands to disperse the spirits. “Stop feeding Emilia nonsense!”  
“In my point of view, you’re the one who is spouting nonsense.” 

Subaru would have already admitted his not-bad feelings toward mister Knight but playing up his antics made Emilia stop thinking about what happened in the ballroom. The big bonus was how adorable she was when she was teasing him. He could get teased to death by her, that would be the best ‘Return by Death’ of his life. Well, the only good ‘Return by Death’ of his life. 

“Ehhh. Maybe I should stop thinking about that.” thinking about his powers only soured his mood.  
“Think about what?” Subaru was thinking too fast for her, he was already talking about something else.  
“About how much of an angel you are! It’s unfair to every other woman in the world! None of them measure up to you!” 

He went on one of his ‘Emilia’s monologues’ to keep her and himself from thinking about what he just said. And from there, they both forgot about everything that happened this evening, they just sat on the grass of the patio talking and laughing. 

Emilia could always count on her Subaru to cheer her up. Their banter a few moments ago was proof of that, he managed to make her forget about her troubles in an instant. Especially when she went in communion with the micro-spirit, talking about him with them was quite enriching. They really told her that he was hiding his feelings toward Julius even though they didn’t say ‘tsundere’. They didn’t know what it meant after all. Sometimes she wished that he would be more open about his feelings, he tended to show only one side of himself to anybody. He covered her in lovely compliments but he showed his more spicy side to Julius. But she wanted to play their little game too, she wasn’t made of china! 

But Emilia was patient, she knew that one day she would learn more about her knight and friend. One day he would show her all the feelings in his heart.


	2. The Lady in white

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But it’s not your first time anyway?”

Emilia would have never guessed she would have one of her first 'make-up talk' with Subaru of all people. Truth be told, it was more with Natsumi than her male counterpart, but still, it was weird to think about it. Emilia had all her make-up redone by ‘Natsumi’ after she let a few tears fall during their conversation at the patio and it felt good to be pampered. Maybe she should ask Subaru to dress as Natsumi more often, that way she could have her first pyjama party! They could even invite Ram, Frederica, and Petra! 

Emilia was still thinking about her hypothetical party when she heard a faint knocking coming from one of the glass doors. It was one of the many maids of the castle who looked quite apologetic as she opened the glass door. 

“Ladies, I’m sorry to interrupt you but Lord Mebaux is about to give a speech.” she bowed. “Your presence is required.”  


“Thank you very much! Let’s go Natsumi, it’s time to honor our host!” she took Natsumi by the hand and followed the maid.

She was sad that they had to go so soon, she wanted to stay here for way longer. But she already had angered Lord Mebaux the time Subaru… had his stomach problem. She was nervous but as long as she had ‘Natsumi’ by her side she would be fine. ‘She’ was the kind of people who lightened up the mood everywhere 'she' went. No matter if it was Subaru or Natsumi, it was part of their core personality and no amount of makeup could hide it.

They made their way to the ballroom where Lord Mebaux was talking to his guest on a rostrum. As the lord's speech had already begun, they walked as silently as possible to make their entrance unnoticed. Unfortunately, Emilia made her heels clack loudly with each step but the audience was seemingly too polite to stare. 

Like everyone else in the ballroom, Lady Katalina Borodin could hear the clumsy clacking of a pair of heels echo behind her. She would have not thought twice about it if she wasn't in the foulest of mood. She threw a quick glance at the ill-mannered culprit and noticed that it was ‘Lady’ Emilia and her ‘lovely’ retainer. She visibly sneered before smiling as she just found the perfect opportunity to have her righteous vengeance. 

They made a fool out of her, so giving them a taste of their own medicine was only fair. Hopefully, it would teach the half-witch her place in the world. The girl should be ashamed of showing her face in public, so daring to say she had a legitimate claim on the ‘Dragon Kingdom’s’ throne. The 'Three Greats' did not fight for the throne to be usurped by a spawn of the witch. She wasn’t even able to keep her retainer in check, so ruling a whole kingdom… 

She watched carefully as Emilia and Natsumi put themselves in the back of the ballroom, near one of the cold buffets. Of course, this Natsumi didn’t even wait a single second to indulge herself in a disgusting act of gluttony. She had so much food in her mouth, she looked like an obese hamster. And Lady Emilia smiled candidly as if anyone in the ballroom was fooled by her act.

Lady Katalina made carefully her way to the witch and her retainer, making sure none of them noticed her. An easy task as Natsumi was too focused on her gorging anything in front of her and Lady Emilia was listening to Lord Mebaux’s formulaic speech. It was the same every year, this man was as boring as he was charmless. Once she reached the witch, she waited for Natsumi to turn around to throw herself once more on the buffet, that girl seemed to have the appetite of the sizable hare… 

“Fula” Lady Katalina whispered as quietly as possible.

As 'Natsumi' was partaking in the buffet, a strong but precise gust of wind hit her back and made her crash on the buffet table. The collision was so strong that the table broke in two under Subaru’s weight and half the food was sent flying in the air. The sound of broken glasses and plates attracted the attention of everybody in the room, who all watched, as food, wine, and glass shards rained on the poor Subaru. 

“Fuck!” Subaru didn’t even understand what happened. He was happily eating and now he was on all four covered by sticky bits of food, wine, and even blood.  


“SU- NATSUMI!” Emilia jumped on Subaru to help him. She started to get the food out of her friend’s hair before noticing his bleeding hand. “Hold on! Let me take care of that!” she took his hand and summoned the strength of the micro-spirits around her to heal his wound.  


“Hohohoho.”

She heard giggling behind her, it was Lady Katalina snickering like a demon. It was obvious that it was her doing, but Emilia had no proof to confront her with. The situation got even worse when her giggling infected the whole room, as everyone from the maids and butlers to Lord Mebaux laughed at her friend's misery. 

Emilia was about to ask Lady Katalina what was she trying to achieve but she quickly saw that Subaru was in worse shape than she first thought. His long sleeves hid even more cuts and wounds, he was bleeding all over the white tablecloth, yet everybody was still mocking him. Their cruelty had no limits. 

“Please, don’t move!” she did her best to heal him as fast as she could but Subaru already wanted to get up. 'He should learn to treat himself better', Emilia thought resigned.  


“It’s okay… I’m sorry to have ruined the party... again.” he looked at the ground, visibly upset at himself.  


“It’s not your fault!” she pouted, why was he always so hard on himself? “It’s Lady Katalina’s! She is just reeeeeally mean, don’t let her get inside your head!” she tried to comfort him as he comforted her just earlier, but she couldn't compare to his silver tongue.  


“I should have known she would come back with vengeance! And I let my guard down!”  


“It’s her fault and her fault alone. Please, be kinder to yourself.” she tried to wipe off some of the sauce he had all over his face but it only made it worse. 

Katalina was quite proud of herself, all she needed to do was give a small push and little miss Natsumi became the laughing stock of the evening. The girl deserved it, Katalina knew her kind too well… They believed they could do everything they wanted because they had a pretty face and doe-like eyes. Unfortunately for her, no man would be foolish enough to be interested in her now. Her horrendous personality and her connection to the half-witch might not have been enough before, but she was done for. She was socially dead, like her master hopefully. 

Katalina looked around the ballroom to make sure that everyone was enjoying the show when she saw Sir. Juukulius walk towards her. He looked as furious as decorum allowed him to be, surely angered by Natsumi’s ‘impolite interruption’. She heard that he had a strong distaste for disrespect and that girl was its epitome. 

It was now time to return her attention to the main task of the evening: snatch the big prize. 

“Sir Juukulius, please be kind to this poor girl.” Katalina readied her thoughtful maiden act, however, Julius didn’t even spare her a single glance. 

Surely he just didn’t notice her? She started to follow him, only for him to stop in front of the witch's retainer. He took off his coat and offered her his hand to take. In a final display of incivility, the insolent girl had the gall of refusing it and got up on her lonesome. 

“Julius! Thanks for your help!” Emilia was happy to find a friendly face in this sea of disdain.  


“No need to thank me.” Julius looked at the poor Subaru, covered in food and wine. “Are you feeling fine?”  


“I am.” he wasn’t, how could he when he embarrassed Emilia once again. It didn’t matter if he fell on his own or not, the result was the same.  


“Do not worry, we all walk through the walk of shame at least once. Nobody will even thi-”  


“I’m sure you didn’t! You’re never the butt of the joke, Julius.” Subaru was burning with resentment. Julius would not fool him with empty platitude, the knight among knights never embarrassed himself and even less in front of his Lady. All he ever did was make Anastasia look even better.

Arguing would be not only vain but deleterious, so Julius kept his mouth shut. However, wrapped Subaru’s body in his coat and cape to help him regain some dignity. He also used a small handkerchief to finish Emilia’s job and wipe the rest of his face. Subaru said nothing as Julius took care of him, he felt too childish to. 

“We should go back to our room so you can wash off.” Emilia gave him a thin smile. “I told you it's ok, if they laugh at you I don’t want to be friends with them anyway!” Not respecting her was fine, but mocking her friend’s pain and shame was a big no-no.  


“Let me accompany you.” Julius gave his arm for Subaru to hold on. He expected to be ignored but Subaru absentmindedly accepted it. He was wallowing in too much guilt to notice what he was doing.

Emilia led the way to her room, as a royal candidate, Lord Mebaux gave her a place to sleep on site. She refused at first, but in retrospect, she was glad he insisted. The whole ballroom started at them as they made their way out. It made Emilia positively furious, they were supposed to be the cream of the crop of Lugunica, yet they acted like a bunch of mean-spirited children. So much for being the nobility… 

Lady Katalina continued to laugh, however, it turned sourer and sourer with every passing second. She had thought her little trick would allow her to get rid of the Witch and her follower, but it did nothing but push her target into the arms of her enemy. She should have known that her kind always found a way to get out of trouble. She noticed the disgusting heartbroken look Natsumi gave to Julius, of course, a knight would fall victim to her poor maiden act. All of them were forced-fed stories about chivalry and courteous love since their infancy. The noblest of knights had been no exception. 

This man was an imbecile, but it was expected. Most noblemen could converse for hours without saying anything of substance, it was in both their nature and nurture. When she would become Lady Juukulius, she would teach her dear husband about the real world. If he didn’t have his status or his handsome features, he would have been eaten alive. Such was the cruel world of the court. 

Julius looked straight ahead, acting as if nothing happened was the best course of action. The sincere Lady Emilia and the naive Subaru were still unaware of the nobility’s harshness. Subaru acted with so much passion, he was creating enemies faster than he could count them. Julius could not let him out of his sight anymore, if Lady Emilia was used to taking veiled abuse, Subaru was still easily triggered. Even if he matured a lot since the royal selection incident, his heart was still resistant to change. 

He sighed, it was maybe self-centered of him, but he hoped Subaru wouldn’t change too much. The last thing he wanted was for his friend's heart to lose itself in the game of the court. Subaru's charms came from his naive heart, only he would have come to this party crossdressing just to be with his ladylove. Emilia was a very lucky woman, indeed. 

Once they reached her room, Emilia invited both Subaru and Julius in. The latter brought Subaru to a chair for him to rest, making sure he was comfortably installed. 

“Please watch over him, Lady Emilia.”  


“Of course!” she pumped her fist. “I won’t let him leave my sight, ever!”  


“I admire your dedication." Julius hid his smile behind his hand. "But I do advise you to let him leave your sight when he enters the bathroom, at least.”  


“Why?” she pouted “I could help him wash his hair! It’s not a wig, you know! I made them grow with some water magic!” she was proud of her spell, she could not cure baldness but she could give his hair a big boost.  


“Natsumi Schwartz may be the one sitting in front of us… But I have the feeling that Natsuki Subaru is going to be the one in need of a shower.”  


“Natsumi or Natsuki, I can wash her or his hair all the same!”  


“I’m sure you can, but the concerned party seems to have some reservations.”

Emilia turned to see Subaru hiding his face behind his hands. She couldn’t see his expression but his ears were as red as the wine on his dress. 

“E-E-Emilia, I love your enthusiasm. But I’m going to wash my hair myself. I’m not ready yet for such a big step in our relationship.” the dirtiest thoughts bubbled in his mind. “We have to reach level 10 before doing that!” against all odds, even dirtier thoughts came to him.  


“Whyyyyy not? You had no qualm bathing with Roswaal?”  


“You bath with Lord Roswaal???” Julius' shock was obvious on his face, he didn't know if he wanted to be privy to such information.  


“EMILIA! Don’t put BL bullshit in his mind.” Subaru threw a pillow at Julius' face, who caught it without even looking at it.  


“But it is the truth!” Emilia didn’t understand why he was denying it, it was a fact, she saw them enter the bathroom together more than once. “You do ‘BL’ with Roswaal!” BL must mean ‘bath’, right? Emilia was too embarrassed to ask, what if they thought she was uncultivated?  


“DON’T SAY THAT!” Subaru was horrified by what he had done. “You are an angel Emilia, you are not supposed to say that!”  


“Subaru, between ‘Matador’ and ‘BL’, you do use a lot of unique vocabulary. If those words are vulgar out of context you should tell us beforehand.” Julius threw back the pillow at Subaru.  


“What does ‘Matador’ mean?” Emilia never heard Subaru say that word before.  


“I have no clue. I just know that I was doing it to hi-”

Subaru threw the pillow at Julius again, this time he managed to hit him with it. He should really watch his tongue in their presence, they just would not stop repeating every word they hear. 

“Well, I will keep my comment for myself then.” Julius put the pillow away from Subaru this time. “Do you have something decent to change into?”  


“Well, I could lend him some of my clothes… But it would not fit him.” Emilia only had a cute summer dress for tomorrow’s lunch.  


“In that case, I will fetch something. In the meantime, you could wash your hair.” he looked at Emilia. “Alone.”  


“Killjoy.”

Emilia locked the door behind Julius and sat on the bed next to Subaru. Their lively conversation seemed to have cheered him up. He even had the energy to start a pillow fight with Julius. She would love to have played too, but Subaru only threw the pillow at Julius. She would be jealous if she hadn’t planned to have a ‘pyjama party’ with Natsumi soon. Maybe they could invite Julius too, they would just need to find him a pretty dress. 

She really wanted to help Subaru in the bath but he insisted on going alone. Why were he and Julius dead set on leaving her to wait alone? She could help Subaru wash his hair and she wouldn’t even put soap in his eyes. But still, she accepted his boring decision. She just hoped he wouldn’t boot her out of the room when he would dress himself, she could help him put on his corset and she would pull reeeeally hard on its laces. 

After getting bored out of her mind, Julius came back with a large garment cover on his arms and a little bag. He put both of them on the bed and sat on the chair in front of Emilia. Emilia always admired how Julius would always keep his composure, he was calm even when he was furious. She was grateful for his help in this situation, he was someone she could count on. She knew he would help her too if she had been the one covered in food, but she had the feeling it would be out of obligation. But what happened to Subaru enraged him, she could see it in his eyes. 

“So you found a dress for our pretty Natsumi?” she hoped it would be a dress as pretty as Natsumi. Subaru was factually cuter as a girl than as a boy.  


“Yes, a friend of mine is quite the fashionista. She always brings with her a full wardrobe and she happens to have approximately the same measurements as our dear Natsumi.”  


“How did you know? You must have taken a reeeeally good look at Subaru’s and this woman’s body to know.” Julius really had a keen eye, he would make a wonderful tailor.  


“Did I?” Julius blinked a few times in confusion. Did she just put his integrity in question?  


“You must have! It must not be easy to estimate the size of one’s chest or hips without paying attention!” she didn’t understand why Julius seemed slightly offended. “I saw how you looked at Natsu-”  


“Ah!” Julius got up from his chair. “Don’t you want to see the dress I borrowed?” for some unknown reason, he suddenly felt like changing the subject.

Fortunately for him, Subaru knocked on the bathroom door. Julius jumped on the occasion to bury this quite... inelegant conversation. Not only it was improper of a lady to talk about chests and hips with a man, but this subject was a can of worms he didn’t wish to open. 

“Hey, did you bring the goods?” Subaru said with a sketchy voice.  


“Yes! He was just about to show it to me!” Emilia really wanted to see what kind of dress Julius brought.  


“Good.” he coughed. “I'm going to need some help with my corset and dress.” the problem with those old-timy dresses was that they were made to be put on with somebody’s assistance. He had to ask for Otto’s help back in the mansion.  


“Can I? I reeeally want to help!”  


“No.”  


“Whyyyy?” she pouted, why Subaru kept refusing her help?  


“I think our dear friend is embarrassed to dress in front of you.”  


“No, he doesn’t!”  


“Yes, I do!”

Emilia thought it was very unfair, she wanted to help him dress so bad. First the matador thing, then the pillow fight, and now she can’t even help with the dress. Why did Julius have all the fun? Of course, she was aware that boys and girls were not meant to undress in front of each other. But they were friends, they shouldn't be ashamed of their bodies. She wouldn't judge him and she knew he wouldn't judge her. 

“You're no fun!” she went back on her chair and crossed her arms. “Go marry Julius if you like him so much.” she was childish, she knew it but she couldn't help it.  


“Do not take it personally, Lady Emilia. It is because he respects you too much.”  


“I know… I'm sorry.” it was to stop acting like a jealous child. “I respect your wish, of course.”  


“Thank you, Emilia! I knew you would understand!” she could hear him smile from the other side of the door. “Now, bring your sorry ass here Julius.”  


“Of course.” Julius rolled his eyes. “Can't make the princess wait, I suppose.”

Julius smiled at Emilia and took the dress with him. He then waited for Subaru to unlock the door before coming into the bathroom. Subaru was standing in front of a great mirror, wearing only short muslin pantalettes, which was a classic undergarment for women to wear. He was desperately trying to dry his hair with a towel, with poor results. After locking the door behind him, Julius walked behind Subaru. 

“I see you're having some troubles. Let me help you.” Julius took one of Subaru's wet hair strands. Emilia really did a great job with her little spell, he should ask her how she did it, Lady Anastasia would love it.  


“And how?” Subaru was not doubting Julius but he was.  


“Let me show you.” Julius looked at Subaru's face in the mirror and smiled softly.

Two little quasi-spirits got out from Julius' hair and clothes and gathered in the palm of his hand. 

“Little buds, our friend needs some help with a little hair dry. Ia, Aro, if you please.”

Ia and Aro answered Julius' call and flew above Subaru's head before spinning around it. Subaru felt a warm gale surrounding him and making his hair float in the air. He should have known that Mister 'Hair Flip' would have found a way to master hair drying technology. He finally found the secret of Julius' great hair and he wondered if he used it between two fights on the battlefield. Subaru couldn't help but picture Julius asking politely an enemy to wait for him to redo his hair. 

“Why are you giggling?” Julius recalled his little buds to him with a flick of his wrist. “I want to laugh too.”  


“Nah, you wouldn’t get it.” Subaru continued to giggle.  


“Very well, keep your secrets.” Julius played with Subaru’s hair, satisfied by his little buds’ work.

“And I’ll keep mine. Like what Emilia just told me about you when you were indisposed.”  


“What did she say???” Subaru turned around and grabbed Julius by his collar. “Come on man, give me the goods.”  


“Nah.” Julius lowered himself slightly to face Subaru directly and accentuated his every word. “You wouldn’t get it.”  


“Bitch.”  


“Are you sure you want to insult the one who is going to tighten your corset? It sounds... dangerous.”

Subaru let Julius go and took his muslin shirt. Turning around to not see Julius' face anymore, he was greeted by his friend’s reflection in the mirror, still snickering. Seemed like there was no way to escape Julius’ mockery, maybe he should have risked asking for Emilia’s help. He put on his shirt and gave Julius the corset, from here on out, he could only hope his executioner would have pity on him. 

“Go ahead, do your worst.” Subaru looked in front of him, he was going to be brave.  


“Don’t mind if I do.”

Julius stood close behind Subaru to warp the corset around the latter torso and belly. Julius was uncomfortably close for Subaru's liking, but the busks in front of the corset had to be closed. Fortunately, Julius knew how to fasten them and it did not take too long. Still, feeling Julius’ hair brush against his ear and face made Subaru feel flustered. It only got worse when Julius started to hum as he adjusted the corset, making sure it wouldn’t hurt or be too comfortless. 

“How does it feel?” Julius checked for Subaru’s expression in the mirror. “I still haven’t tightened it, yet you already are red in the face. Should I adjust it more?” Julius put his hands on Subaru’s waist to evaluate his work.  


“NO!” Subaru cleared his throat. “I mean, I’m just anxious about what’s to come. Who knows what a sadist like you could do to me.” Subaru stuck his tongue at Julius in an attempt to lighten the tension.  


“Do not worry. I will be gentle.” he spoke in a whisper as if to prove his gentleness. “But it’s not your first time anyway?” he took hold of both sides of the corset.  


“Hahahahahahahahahaha.” was it an innuendo or was Subaru just out of his mind?  


“Only when you are ready?”  


“Okay… Let’s go.”

Julius put the sides together and Subaru’s back straightened in consequence. He then pulled slightly on the lace, just enough for the corset to stay in place without help. 

“And now the fun begins.” Julius smiled to reassure Subaru, but the latter wasn’t even looking at the mirror.

He took another pass at each lace, making sure to tighten them as much as he could while keeping the two sides of the corset parallel. Subaru fidgeted at each pull, seemingly dreading the final one. Julius was so engrossed in his craft that he forgot to mind the distance between him and Subaru. Still humming, he was tilting his head left and right to the rhythm of his melody. Subaru could feel Julius’ breath shifting all over the nap of his neck. It felt like torture and Subaru couldn’t even tell why, he just knew that it sent shivers down his spine. 

“Are you ready for the great finale?” Julius made sure Subaru was aware that the great pull was coming.  


“Yes.” Subaru took a deep breath. “YES!”  


“My, my… Such enthusiasm.”

Subaru closed his eyes and Julius gave a final strong pull on the four laces in the center, drawing in Subaru’s waist. 

“Oh.” no matter how many times he put one on, it was still a chore. “Fuck. You didn’t hold back.”  


“You asked me to do my worst.” Julius gave him an innocent look as if he was hurt by Subaru’s remark.  


“Don’t look at me like that!” he hid his face behind his hands. Why was Julius pushing all his buttons this evening?  


“Have I done something to offend you?” he whined, still looking hurt.  


“Don’t whine like that! In fact, stop being you!”  


“Such hard words. What did I do to deserve them?” Julius knew very well he was teasing Subaru. But it was nothing more than usual.  


“Just get the dress, please.” He should have chosen Emilia, it would have been thousand times less embarrassing. Blushing at Emilia was one thing, blushing at Julius’ touch… “Aaaaaaah. Stop it!”  


“Stop what?” Julius was sure he absolutely did nothing this time.  


“Nothing.” Subaru summoned his best poker face.

Julius took out the dress of its garment cover and showed it to Subaru. It was a long white dress mixing soft taffetas and transparent embroidered tulle. The dress was hiding what must be hidden but allowed itself to show some hint of skins. The tulle sleeves were long but showed Subaru’s pale shoulders and the long skirt gave some hint of his long legs. The dress moved with utmost fluidity and was shaped in a way that gave the wearer a graceful silhouette. Subaru had to admit, Julius did not joke around with his sense of taste. The pure white was reminiscent of Anastasia, his inspiration was obvious. Subaru didn’t know what to think of Julius associating him with Anastasia but he didn’t want to anyway. 

“Well, I admit, I admit. You did a good job.” Subaru nodded as he spoke.  


“I am happy t-”  


“But, but, BUT!” Subaru pointed to his adam apple. “You forgot about hiding my neck. Guess you failed, mister knight.”  


“Do not worry, I have something for that too. But let’s put on the dress first. Then we will do your hair and make-up.” they still had so much to do. “If you want your revenge, then we should not dawdle.”  


“Revenge?" Subaru's eyes lit up at the notion. "I didn’t know you had it in you, mister perfect!”  


“You still have a lot to learn about me, dear.”

Subaru was so engrossed in the possibility of getting back at the Baron’s sister that he did not listen to Julius’ teasing. Fortunately for him, the dress was easy to put on. It minimized Julius’ intervention and made sure that his hands wouldn’t touch him too much. Looking at himself in the mirror, Subaru almost looked like a bride. And an outside observer could think that Julius was the groom, what a shame. 

“It suits you better than I thought. You’re going to eclipse, Lady Emilia.” it was almost mind-breaking to see how good he looked.  


“Never, Emilia is an angel, no one can hold a candle to her!”  


“Don’t underestimate yourself. No one is going to be able to resist you when I’m finished with you. Even statues will turn around to watch you move.”  


“Even you?”  


“Mmm.” Julius thought about it. “Yes, even I.”  


“It was supposed to be a joke.” he both sneered and blushed at the same time.

Subaru tapped his foot on the floor, he was getting restless because of Julius' infuriating teasing. This man had no shame, but Subaru shouldn’t be so receptive to this flirting ersatz. And Subaru felt even worse as Julius brushed his hair. Not that Julius was hurting him, he was as gentle as a man could be, but it gave Subaru an unbearable headache. He was getting so confused but he shouldn't be. It was only Julius brushing his hair, he wasn’t even talking or humming anymore. 

“So are you ready to hear about my little revenge plan?” Julius asked, not paying mind to Subaru tormenting himself.  


“Yes! Yes, I do!” talking about how to get back at the Baron’s sister was better than thinking about why his mind was so full of incoherent thought.  


“You understand that you can’t just push each other on tables forever, yes?” it would be hilarious, but a bad idea nonetheless. “If you want to get back at her, you have to beat her at the social game.”  


“Yes, but how? I am not from her world! I know how to consistently Hadouken on Street Fighter! Not how to eat with my little finger up.”  


“Hadouken…” Julius shook his head, it wasn’t the time to lag on Subaru’s nonsense. “It’s not about etiquette, it’s about stealing the attention she craves.”  


“Go on…” he liked what he was hearing.  


“She wants to be seen and find a man of good status to ensure her future. I can’t really blame her… But she took it too far by hurting you.” Julius looked at the bloody dress. “We have to teach her a little lesson in humility.”

Julius was well aware of the pressure society put on the young woman of the court. Often, their only value in their family’s eyes was their ability to marry well and seal a union between two families. She was raised to do one thing and she did it really well, Julius knew many men who would marry her on the spot. By ensuring a good marriage, she could even maybe save her sisters from marrying distasteful people. Julius understood that she did it for her family, but she crossed the line multiple times. He could not ignore her behavior anymore, shaming and wounding his friends was inexcusable. 

“Yes, yes, yes. Let’s teach her a lesson.” Subaru could feel his evil side rise inside him.  


“So we are going to make sure you get everything she wanted. The spotlight, the good press, and the big prize.”  


“What’s the big prize?”  


“Me, of course.”  


“Ah!” Subaru almost choked on his own spit. “That’s a good one. How can someone as humble as you survive in this cruel world?”  


“Please, hear me out before laughing.” he laughed too. “Lady Katalina wants an eligible bachelor destined to head a great noble house. You can’t deny I fit the bill.”  


“If she knew who you truly are…”  


“But she doesn’t. And I am not blind, I know I am one of the first on her hit list.”  


“Who’s first?” he raised an eyebrow.  


“Reinhard.”  


“Of course.” this had been a stupid question. If Subaru had been a girl, he would be all over the ‘Sword Saint’ too. Not for his status but for how nice and adorable he was. He deserved all the head pats in the world, unlike Julius who deserved nothing. “Okay, okay, I get it. But what’s the plan?”  


“Well... Does miss Natsumi Schwartz know how to dance?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May the church of Julisuba accept this humble contribution! It was supposed to be a two-parter but I wrote too much, oops.
> 
> By the way, I've changed the formatting. What do you think of it?

**Author's Note:**

> Never wrote a shipping fic before! It was a fun experience!


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